Covid | Schools Week

Free school meals: 300k more pupils became eligible in first 7 months of Covid

The number of children eligible for free school meals surged in the first seven months of the Covid-19 pandemic, official figures show. Census data published by the Department for Education shows an additional 302,397 pupils became eligible for free school meals between the first nationwide lockdown in March and the October school census. During the […]

Headteacher vacancies fall despite Covid exodus fears

Fears of a Covid-fuelled mass exodus of headteachers this summer may be wide of the mark, although new figures suggest more leaders left their jobs earlier in the pandemic. The government was warned about a “post-Covid exodus” of headteachers after a poll last year found nearly half were less than likely to remain in the […]

Private schools got biggest top A-levels boost after grade U-turn

Private schools still saw the biggest boost in top grades at A-level following this year’s exams fiasco, despite the decision to issue centre-assessment grades. The Department for Education has published analysis of A-level grades issued this summer, following the decision to let school-provided grades stand if they were higher than calculated grades issued by exam […]

NTP reviews rule requiring pupils to receive online tutoring in school

The National Tutoring Programme is reviewing its stipulation that pupils need to be in school for online sessions following an outcry from headteachers. The NTP said it was working with “a number” of its tuition partners to ensure “necessary systems are in place to allow at home tuition to take place when needed”. The stipulation […]

Not enough Covid testing capacity, admits Johnson

The government does not have enough testing capacity to keep up with current demand, the prime minister admitted. Boris Johnson told the Parliamentary liaison committee that demand for tests had “massively accelerated” in recent weeks. Schools Week revealed last week how schools had been forced to break into their limited supplies of emergency home testing […]